California Assembly Bill AB2504 Latest Draft

 BILL NUMBER: AB 2504AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN SENATE JUNE 15, 2016 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 31, 2016 INTRODUCED BY Committee on Agriculture (Assembly Members Dodd (Chair), Gallagher (Vice Chair), Gray, Grove, Irwin, Jones-Sawyer, Mathis, Quirk, and Salas) FEBRUARY 19, 2016 An act to add Section 52296.5 to the Food and Agricultural Code, relating to seed. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 2504, as amended, Committee on Agriculture. Seed Advisory Board: assessments: alfalfa seed producers. Existing law establishes the Seed Advisory Board to advise the Secretary of Food and Agriculture and make recommendations on matters pertaining to the California Seed Law, and requires the board to be advisory on the scope of the program funded by industry and recommend the dollar volume assessments that, when combined with registration fees, provide adequate funds to support the program. This bill would authorize the board to advise the secretary and make recommendations to assess alfalfa seed  producers   sold in the state  to fund research to benefit the alfalfa  seed   forage  industry.  The bill would authorize the board to impose an assessment of up to $0.10 per pound of alfalfa seed sold and, if the board authorizes an assessment, would require the secretary to appoint an alfalfa seed subcommittee comprised of 9 members, as specified, to advise the secretary on funding alfalfa research with the proceeds of the assessments collected.  Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 52296.5 is added to the Food and Agricultural Code, to read: 52296.5.  (a)    The board may advise the secretary and make recommendations to assess alfalfa seed  producers   sold in this state  to fund research to benefit the alfalfa  seed   forage  industry.  52296.6. Notwithstanding Section 52354, the board may assess alfalfa hay producers an amount not to exceed $0.10 per pound of alfalfa seed sold by the producer to fund research to benefit the alfalfa forage industry.   52296.7. (a) If the board recommends imposing an assessment on alfalfa hay producers pursuant to Section 52296.6, the secretary shall appoint an alfalfa seed subcommittee to advise the secretary on funding alfalfa research with the proceeds of the assessments collected pursuant to Section 52296.6.   (b) The alfalfa seed subcommittee shall be comprised of nine members as follows:   (1) Two alfalfa hay producers from the Intermountain region made up of the counties of Alpine, Del Norte, Humboldt, Inyo, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc, Mono, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskyou, and Trinity.   (2) Two alfalfa hay producers from the North Central Region made up of the counties of Alameda, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Glenn, Lake, Marin, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Tulomne, Yolo, and Yuba.   (3) Two alfalfa hay producers from the South Central Region made up of the counties of Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Monterrey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Tulare Counties.   (4) Two alfalfa hay producers from the Southern Region made up of the counties of Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Ventura.   (5) One public member.